1914 – All Change !

 
Activities continued at Port Laing and Montrose through 1913, but the growing threat of war from Europe and some local difficulties meant that major changes were just around the corner.

A new Naval Airstation was under development at Carolina Port in Dundee, and orders were received to move from Port Laing to Dundee.

While Port Laing was very close to the Grand Fleet at Rosyth, the conditions at Port Laing were not ideal. The foreshore proved to be sticky, making it difficult to recover planes after they had landed on the water, and the steep cliffs behind the beach would have cause lots of wind-shear, violent up-draughts and down-draughts, that would have affected the handling of the primitive aircraft.

Another factor was the affection for flying displayed by Winston Churchill. He had flown in all types of military aircraft, taking control on several occasions. As he was the M.P. for Dundee, there is little doubt that he was influential in attracting the naval airstation from the Forth to the Tay.

The final factor was the artist Charles Martin Hardie, the owner of Garth Hill in North Queensferry, who had leased the land at Port Laing to the Admiralty. He tried to negotiate an increase in the rent.

The Aeroplane – January 22nd 1914

There has been a considerable amount of flying during the past week by the officers at the Naval Aerodrome at Port Laing. Major Gordon, R.M.L.I. who has been on a tour of inspection in the north for some time, has now returned to the station and made extended flights on a Short seaplane up and down the Forth. He was joined by Capt. Barnby, who has also done some extended flights on the Borel monoplane. Capt. Barnby has done some remarkably high flights over the district. It is expected that operations will continue until the end of March at this station.

Meantime, the good citizens of Montrose were advertising the merits of their location to the growing aviation industry.